Sugar Coating
by BelStar
Summary: With the first Mrs. Brady about to die, how will Alice help the boys cope? And does it do more harm than good to sugar coat things?


"Well now, Tiger. I've got the Betty Crocker cook book, the manual for the Bendix, the manual for the refrigerator ... how come there's nothing on how to deal with a death in the family?"

Tiger, the Brady family dog, glanced back at Alice. He didn't know what to do, and it seemed nobody else did either. Over in the living room, Mrs. Nicole Brady was stretched out on the bulky leather couch, watching a movie with her small sons. Three year-old Bobby was in the crook of her arm. Greg lay across the back of the couch on his front, where he could glance down at his mother every now and again. Peter was sat cross-legged on the floor, holding her hand as if it were made of gold.

Since the start of the summer vacation, the boys had spent all their time either in the house or in the back yard with their mother. She was coming to the end of a long illness, but the exact length of time she had to live was anyone's guess.

Alice was making sugar coated peanuts from a recipe in the cook book when the three boys came through to the kitchen. Greg was carrying Bobby, who was clinging on to his oldest brother like a monkey.

"Aren't you missing your movie?" said Alice in surprise.

"it's the commercials, and anyway, Mama's fallen asleep again," replied Peter.

"Alice, what are we going to do without Mama?" said Greg.

"I don't know," sighed Alice. "We're all going to miss her". Oh, why did the boys have to come to her with such a question?

"All these people are saying the angels are gonna come for her. If they do come for her, I'll be waiting, and I'll sock 'em one," stated Peter.

"People are just too scared of telling us the truth - Mama's going to die," complained Greg in disgust. "Why is everyone trying to sugar coat it?"

Alice closed the recipe book, dipped her little finger in the sugar coating and sucked it. The boys were waiting for her to say something – even Bobby was looking at her expectantly. She took her finger out of her mouth. "Do you know what?" she said. "I can think of one thing that might do a bit of good. Why don't you make your Mama a card and write about everything you're feeling right now?"

"I'm gonna draw some pictures about how I'm feeling right now," Peter shouted.

"We'll make her a really beautiful card, won't we, Bobby?" said Greg.

"Tha's right," squealed Bobby.

Within 20 minutes, the card was ready. The boys 'borrowed' a large sheet of thick paper from Mr. Brady's office and folded it in half. Peter drew a picture of each of the boys holding their arms out and Greg added a speech balloon which said "We love you this much". Greg and Peter also showed Bobby how to draw kisses, and it wasn't long before the bottom of the card was covered in crosses. Inside the card, Greg wrote:

"Mama.

"We wish you weren't going to die. We'll miss you an awful lot when you're gone. But we wanted to make you this card to tell you how much we all love you and how glad we are that you're our mother. With lots of love from your sons."

Underneath, each boy added his signature. Alice guided Bobby's hand as he formed his name in crayon.

When she was presented with the card, Nicole gave the biggest smile the boys had seen from her for a long time. With lots of hugs and kisses, she told them how much she loved them and how glad she was that they were her children. But it was only after the boys had gone to bed that she decided on how best she could repay the gesture. Taking out her writing set, she selected two envelopes, one small and one large. On the small envelope she wrote 'For my sons', while on the larger one she scribbled 'Mike, please pass this on to the boys after I'm gone'. Then, on a sheet of note paper, she wrote down the following:

"To Greg, Peter and Bobby,

"It breaks my heart that I won't be with you three in times to come. But what I can do is to tell you of my wish for you. All of you are funny, charming and delightful souls – may you be ever more so as you grow up and become men. Lots of love, Mama."


End file.
